CWE Pre Camp Devos-#6 The General

Proverbs 3:5-6a

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE…”

“THE GENERAL”

He was a president, who had been a general, who had been a colonel.  He preferred to be addressed simply as “General.”  During the D-Day landing at Normandy, he and his unit had been assigned to take out a German gun embankment that was located 200 feet straight up some cliffs from the landing beach, a very dangerous mission indeed.  He did it.  Just a couple of years later, he, as President, had taken the bold and unpopular steps of making the Corps at Texas A&M non-mandatory, while at the same time admitting women to the previously all-male institution. His actions produced outrage. Powerful alumni demanded his resignation.  It was said that death threats had followed.  He never wavered.  He never gave in.  He was a giant of a man, the most powerful man on campus, if not the state, and I was standing at attention in front of him at barely past 6:00 a.m. in the morning. 

It was early November 1969, and he was mad, very mad…at me.  The night before I, a senior, had attended the freshman football game between the Texas A&M freshman team and the TCU freshman team.  I attended the game because first of all, I like football.  Second, at that point in time there was little else to do in College Station, Texas, on a Thursday night.  And third, because I had been elected and selected to be the Head Yell Leader at Texas A&M for the 1969-1970 year.  As such, I was supposedly “in charge” of the student body at all athletic events…and that is why General Earl Rudder, the president of Texas A&M was mad…at me. 

Toward the end of the game some overzealous freshman cadets had come up with the brilliant idea of jumping out of the stands and “kidnapping” the petite, TCU female cheerleaders which they, in fact, did do…right before my eyes and, as fate would have it, those of General Rudder.  No harm came to the girls.  The freshman cadets simply carried them out of the stadium, put them down and ran off thinking they had completed a great prank.  In the end, the girls from TCU were actually a little flattered by it all.  No harm had been done, but that didn’t matter, not to General Rudder.  And so it was that I found myself standing in front of the General at shortly after 6:00 a.m. on that Friday morning, the sole object of his intimidating anger.  General Rudder did not even “acknowledge” my presence for what seemed to be an eternity, but after a few minutes that seemed more like hours, he calmly, but sternly, looked up at me and simply said, “Mr. Torn, you will travel to Ft. Worth today.  You will seek out each one of these young ladies and their sponsor.  You will apologize to them on behalf of this great institution and you will seek their forgiveness.  You will then return and report back to me no later than 5:00 p.m. today.  Do you understand?”  I “acknowledged” that I did and I left his stern presence…quickly, very quickly.

In today’s scripture, the first portion of verse 6, Solomon tells us to “in all your ways acknowledge…”  We hear that word “acknowledge” often in every day conversation without giving it so much as a passing thought, but what does it really, in fact, mean?  “The private acknowledged the captain with a salute…”  In other words, acknowledge is a show of respect, a recognition of superior rank.  “He didn’t even acknowledge that I was in the room…”  Once again, the term is used as a means of recognition, of appreciation, or the lack thereof, for the presence or input of another.  However, when Solomon uses the word in this passage of scripture, its literal meaning is a little different.  Simply put, it means to submit.  “In all your ways acknowledge…” Solomon tells us.  In all your ways submit.  In everything you do submit, put yourself under the authority of, and do the will of the object of your submission.  Solomon tells us that in everything we do, we are to do it with the conscious recognition that God is our ultimate authority and that we are to think, act, react, speak, and behave in full submission to Him.  “All your ways” does not mean most of your ways.  It does not mean most of the things you do.  It does not mean occasionally or only when it is convenient.  Instead, it means full, complete, voluntary submission.  When we consciously acknowledge God, we consciously serve God.  When we consciously acknowledge God, we consciously “do” God.  When we consciously acknowledge God, we consciously please God. 

This summer you will be asked to acknowledge God hundreds of times each day.  In every interaction with a child, in every reaction to a child, in every relationship with a peer, you will have a choice to acknowledge God, or not.  Your choices will determine your summer.  Your submission will determine your success.  More importantly, your consistent and constant acknowledgement will ultimately determine your destiny.

Oh, and for the record: I did, in fact, make the 3 hour drive to Ft. Worth that Friday morning in 1969.  I did, in fact, locate all 8 of those TCU co-eds and their sponsor.  I did, in fact, issue an apology on behalf of Texas A&M, the students involved, and myself for the behavior of the young freshmen. I did, in fact, receive their forgiveness.  I did, in fact, make it back to General Rudder’s office by 5:00 p.m. (barely).  And so it was that for the 2^nd time that day I stood in front of the great man.  After a moment he looked up at me and “acknowledged” me with a simple one-word question.  “Well?” he asked.  “Sir,” I returned the acknowledgment and nodded my head.  “Thank you,” he responded, “that will be all.”  As I turned to leave, I couldn’t help but notice that a brief smile formed at the corner of his lips as I was dismissed.  I met with General Rudder once a week to discuss matters related to the student body at Texas A&M for the rest of the school year…well almost the rest of the year.  In late March I was summoned back to campus from spring break with the news that General Rudder had suddenly, unexpectedly passed away and I was to serve as a pall bearer at his funeral, which I did.  The funeral was attended by thousands, including the sitting President of the United States of America.  All of us in attendance “acknowledged,” in our own personal way, that giant of a man for the very last time.  I did so by recalling back to that Friday in November and the memory of that brief smile that had crossed his face as I was leaving his office.  And as I did so, a brief smile formed on the corners of my own mouth.